Parlor-baseball game



Patentd Apr. 20, 1920.

INVENTOR ATTORNEY WITNESSES k/ UNITED STATES PATENT ROBERT 1-1. IRELAND, Ci BBJGOKLYN, NEN YORK.

FARLOR-BASEBALL GAME.

Application filed September 17, 1917.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT IRELAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Parlor-Baseball Games, of which the following is a specifica tion.

This invention relates to game apparatus and more particularly-to what are termed parlor base ball games.

The object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of this character which while cheap to construct and simple in its operation is very amusing and interesting for older persons as well as children. 7

Another object is to so con truct a game board in the form of a base ball diamond with the side walls rectilinear to adapt them to serve to deflect the balls thereby rendering the game more interesting.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed may be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 represents a plan view of the game apparatus constituting this invention,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on a small scale.

In the embodiment illustrated a substantially rectangular board 1 is shown which is preferably molded of glass, papier mach, porcelain, or similar material, thus forming a one piece board which is provided with a plurality of ridges 2 and depressions 3 to form a series of inclined runways adapted to direct the travel of a plurality of balls as 5 which represent the players of the team.

A ball retaining trough 4 is formed along one side of the board as shown clearly in Fig. 1 and in which the balls 5 designed for use in playing the game are adapted to be retained, any desired number of which may be employed.

Another troughlike receptacle 6 is arranged along another side of the board and is designed to receive the balls used in play- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 20, 19.2

Serial No. 191,314.

ing the game and when a ball reaches said trough a home run is counted.

Disposed at the center of the board in a plane some distance above the remainder thereof is what may be termed the pitchers box 7 which has a downwardlyinclined runway 8 leading therefrom toward one corner of the board and the end of this runway has a slight depression 9 which represents the catchers box. A runway 10 leads from the catchers box 9 parallel with the trough t at the adjacent side of the board and terminates at its opposite end at one corner of the board in a slight depression 11 which is termed first base. From the first base 11 along the adjacent side of the board is another runway 12 which leads to the second base 13 disposed at the next corner of the boarl and which has a slight depression so that the balls traveling over the runways 10 and 12 may be arrested at these points ording to the speed at which they are traveling. A runway 1 1 leads from the second base 13 along the next side of the board to the third base 15 arranged at the next corner and another runway 16 leads from the third base to the home plate or compartment 6. The ridges 2 are arranged along the inner sides of the runways 10,12, 14 and 16 and said runways incline gradually downward from the catchers box to the home plate so that a ball started in the pitchers box will roll by gravity through said runways and according to the speed thereof will stop at one of the bases or pass on to the home plate.

Leading from each base into the field indicated at 17 is a guideway 18 and another guideway leads also from the home run compartment 6 into thefield, the field 17 being arranged in a plane below that occupied by the runways so that a ball entering one of the guideways 18 will pass by gravity into the field 17.

In the use of this game, tl e balls 5 to be played are retained in the troughlike receptacle 4- and the player whose team is at the bat starts by placing one of the balls in the pitchers box 7 as shown clearly in Fig. 1 and owing to the incline of the runway 8 leading therefrom the ball will travel down said inclined runway 8 and enter the catchers box 9 and then pass through runway 10 to the first base 11 where a slight depression is formed and if the travel of the ball is so slow that this depression will operate to retard it, it will remain on said base and will be counted a one-base hit. If the momentum of the ball, however, is sufiicient to carry it beyond the first base 11 it will pass through the runway 12, over the second base 13, through runway 14L, over third base 15, through the runway 16 to the home plate 6, and if it reaches this point a home run will be counted for theplayer. It is of course to be understood that should the ball stop in its travel at the second or third base, a second and third base hit will be counted in the usual manner, If, during the travel of the ball it should pass through one of the guideways 18 into the field 17 the player will be counted out. The counting is continued until three players have been put out in the usual manner.

The opposite walls of the runways are curved, and said runways being rectilinear throughout their length will operate to deflect the balls which enter them, which has a tendency to cause the balls to pass through the guideways 18 into the fieldl'? disposed below them, thereby rendering the game more interesting.

In Fig. 1 it will be observed that two balls are on the field 17 and thereby have been counted out, while one is arranged on the home plate to indicate that a home run has been scored by one of the players and that men occupy each of the bases, and the ball at the pitchers box indicates that the pitcher is about to throw the ball. When the balls are in this position, the ball leaving the pitchers box and traveling through the runways will come in contact with those at the respective bases and cause them to move on and either pass through the runways around the edge of the board or to enter {the guideways 18 and pass out into the fielc From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the advantages of the construction and of the method of operation will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention appertains and while I have described theprinciple of operation of the invention together with the device which I now consider to be the best embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that the device shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made as are within the scope of the claimed invention.

I claim A game apparatus comprising an integral structure substantially square in plan and having side edges of varying height increasing uniformly, ridges formed at the edges of the structure, a second set of integrally formedinner'ridges in spaced relation to'the first ridges to form runways, a central depressed portion, the inner ridges being interrupted at the corners of the structure to form passage ways leading into the depressed portion, a central inclined integral structure having a runway and communicating at its lowest point with one of the first mentioned runways, and a recess at one side of the structure, the outer and inner ridges being interrupted at that point to afford communication between the recess and the adjacent runway and also the depressed portion for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two-witnesses.

- ROBERT H; IRELAND.

lVitnesses: 1 V V JOHN P. BURCH,

WILLIAM S; FOWLER. 

